Can-opener.



v No. 857,871. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

H. J. GASSARD.

CAN OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. 1907.

IIIIIIII Witnesses. I Inventor.

fiwwrm @y" 2 UNITED STATES PATENT orunon.

HENRY JOHN CASSARD, OF WESTMOUNT, QUEBEC, CANADA.

CAN-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented June 25, 1907.

Application filed March 2,1907. Serial No. 360,172.

the Dominion of Canada, have invented cer' tain new and useful Improvements in Can- Openers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in can openers, and the objects of the invention are to devise a can opener which may be adjusted at will to make a cut around the upper edge of the side of the can or around the outer edge of the top of a can as may be de sired by the operator, and to provide an arrangement of parts in said can opener which shall facilitate the manufacture of the same and be of a durable construction and. inexpensive to produce, and it consists essentially of the novel construction and arrangement of parts whereby a handle sliding on a rod, adapted to engage an end wall of the can, carries at the end thereof a set of knives reversible at the will of the user without disengaging the rod, the various parts being constructed as fully set forth in detail in the present specification and shown in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing the can opener, with the rod partially withdrawn. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the can opener showing the rod in its closed position. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail showing the rod in its extreme outer position. Fig. 4 is a perspective de' tail of the knives showing themeans of securing said knives to the handle.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the handle of the can opener preferably made of wood,

though it must be understood that other materials such as fiber or metal may be used, and having the hole 2 of even bore drilled from the reduced inner end 3 of said handle and extending centrally and longitudinally thereinto and preferably terminating at the inner end in proximity to the outer end of the handle.

4 is a rod preferably of steel sliding in the hole 2 and squared for the greater portion 5 of its length and having at its outer end the off-set 6 forming the piercing point 7 and at its inner end the cylindrical portion 8 fitting in said hole 2 and separated from said squared portion by the neck 9.

'10 is a plate formed at each end thereof into the pointed knives 11 and. 12, the said knives having a cutting edge at each side thereof and the knife 11 being bent over and extending parallel to the axis of the handle in a forward direction. The plate 10 has also the lugs 13 and 14 extending from the sides between the knives and bent rearwardly and curved to fit over the reduced end 3 of the handle for the purpose of fastening said plate 10 rigidly to said handle. 15 is a rectangular opening centrally arranged in said plate 10 in relation to said knives and lugs and leading into the hole 2 and through which the squared portion 5 of the rod 4 extends.

The V-shaped lip 16 is stamped out from the knife portion 12 of the plate 10 and bent laterally therefrom to form a guide for the said knife 12 when inserted through the top of a can for cutting purposes. The said guide-or lip 16 engages the outer periphery of the side wall of the can and thus retains said knife, during the process of opening, adj acent to the edge.

17 is a band encircling the inner open end 3 of the handle 1 over the lugs 13 and 14 and firmly secured to said handle.

It will be thus seen that the rod 4 sliding in the hole 2 is retained therein by the enlarged cylindrical portion 8, which contacts with the inner face of the plate 10 at the outer position of the said rod. The neck 9 at the said extreme outer position of the rod isopposite the opening 15 and will permit the handle to rotate on the rod. In this manner the knives may be reversed, but on sli'ding the handle forwardly on the rod the squared portion 5 enters the opening 15 and prevents the rotation of said handle on said rod.

18 is a knife blade having the elbowed portion 19 securely riveted toward the outer end of the rod 4 by the rivets 20, the said knife blade extending in a parallel direction with the rod 4 and terminating in the point 21 in proximity to the off-set portion 5 of the rod 4.

In using this can opener,'if the sides of the can are made of light material, the point 7 of the rod 4 is inserted in the center of the top of the can. The handle is then drawn to its extreme outer position on the rod 4, thus bringing the plate 10 against the enlarged cylindrical portion 8, and the opening 15 surrounding the neck. In this position the handle may be rotated on the cylindrical portion 8 to bring the knife 11 to the underside of the rod 4. The handle is slid inwardly on the rod 4 until the point of the blade 11 pierces the side of the can, the squared portion 5 of said rod being in contact with the sides of the opening 15 and insuring the non-rotation of said rod. The handle 1 is now grasped by one 7 hand and circled around the top of the can, said can being held by the other hand to prevent its turn ing. The handle 1 may be circled around the can to the right or to the left as either side of the knife 11 will cut the tin immediately below the top thereof. If the sides of the tin are of a heavy material, which cannot readily be cut by the knife 11, the handle 1 may be withdrawn to the extremity of the rod 4 and rotated and the knives 11 and 12 reversed. The handle is now slid along the rod 4 until the point of the knife 12 is immediately inside the edge of the top of the can. A slight downward pressure on the handle 1 forces the knife 12 through the top of the can. The handle 1 is now circled around the can in either direction in exactly similar manner to that already described when cutting with the knife 11, the guide 16 being immediately outside the edge of the can will cause the knife 12 to follow the said edge when making its out thereby insuring a clean and even rim to the sides of the can, after the top has been cut out.

If it is found that the can is of exceedingly heavy metal and not readily cut by either of the knives 11 or 12, the point of the knife 18 is inserted in the top of the can at the edge thereof until the said knife passes well inside the said top and with the off-set portion of the rod 4 bearing against the edge of the can. The raising of the handle will cut the said top for a distance equal to the length of the knife 18 when the knife may be again inserted and the cutting continued until the entire top of the can is removed.

The salient features of my invention are the combining of the several blades with the one handle, so that the top of a can may be cut in any place desired, and the forming of the knives from the one plate of metal, so that they will cut on the top or the side of the can and in the left or right hand direction.

hat I claim as my invention is:

1. A can opener comprising a recessed handle provided at its end with a plate having a non-circular opening and carrying knives angularly arranged in relation one to the other, a rod having a non-circular main part with an off-set at its outer end forming a piercing point and an enlarged part at its inner end with a narrow neck between the enlarged inner end and the main part, the said handle being rotatable on said rod for inversion of the knives upon engagement of the plate opening with the neck portion of the rod as described.

2. A can opener, comprising a handle having a central longitudinal and circular hole leading thereinto, a plate covering the open end and having a non-circular opening therethrough leading to said hole and pointed ends forming double edged knives arranged angularly one to the other and lugs projecting rearwardly and secured to said handle, and a rod having a cylindrical and enlarged inner end, a neck joining said enlarged end to the main portion of the rod formed correspondingly to said opening through the plate and an off-set from the outer end beyond said plate forming a piercing point, substantially as described.

3. A can opener, comprising a handle having a central hole leading thereinto, a plate rigidly secured to the open end of said handle and having a non-circular opening leading to said hole and forming at one end a double edged knife parallelly arranged with the axis of said handle and at the other end a double edged knife at right angles to the axis of said handle, the latter knife having a V-shaped lip stamped therefrom and extending laterally and forming a guide, and a rod slidably arranged in said handle and having an enlarged cylindrical inner end joined to the remaining part of said rod formed correspondingly to said non-circular hole by a neck ro tatable in said non-circular opening and an off-set at the outer end thereof forming a piercing point, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination, a handle having a central longitudinal hole made thereinto' from one end thereof, knives rigidly secured to the open end of said handle and at right angles and parallel respectively to the axis of said handle and forming therebetween an opening leading into said hole, a non-circular rod slidably arranged in said hole and formed correspondingly with said opening and having a portion thereof rotatable in said opening and an offset forming a spear point, and a knife rigidly secured to said rod toward the outer end thereof having its cutting edge parallel with said rod and adjacent thereto, substantially as described;

Signed at the city of Montreal, in the district of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec, in the Dominion of Canada, this 23rd day of February, 1907.

HENRY JOHN CASSARD.

Witnesses:

G. H. TREsInnEn,

LLOYD BLAOKMORE. 

